The Nagaland Education Project—The Lighthouse (NECTAR) organised a “One Day Training and Orientation on Environment and Social Standards (ESS)” for the contractors of sixteen Lighthouse School Complexes (LSCs) at the Directorate of School Education (DoSE), Kohima on February 20.
Delivering the welcome note, Shashank Pratap Singh (IAS), Principal Director of DoSE and Project Director of NECTAR, highlighted the importance of LSCs and that under the World Bank supported NECTAR project, LSC contractors were selected on merit through a fair tendering process. Therefore, he urged all contractors to execute quality work on time and adhere to the Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) as mandated by the World Bank.
Kevileno Angami, Commissioner and Secretary of School Education and SCERT and Vice Chairperson of NECTAR Project Steering Committee, in her keynote address, stated that the Department has envisaged LSCs with various essential facilities, keeping in mind the prevailing poor condition of schools in Nagaland. She mentioned that with support from the World Bank, the Department of Economic Affairs, and the State Government, this vision to build LSCs that will serve as hubs for spoke schools in each district will be realised. She further urged the contractors to strive to complete the civil works within the stipulated timeframe as any lapse will directly impact all stakeholders, including school children. She stressed that we tend to focus on the end and not the means, often ignoring the environmental and social costs. In this regard, she emphasised the need to stringently adhere to all compliances to avoid adverse effects on the environment and the people. In conclusion, she exhorted the participants by stating that since LSCs belong to all of us, contractors should ensure quality work and timely completion.
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Dr. Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, Advisor of School Education and SCERT, stated that given the pitiful condition of schools in rural Nagaland, it will be very unfortunate if the construction of LSCs does not see completion. Since Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and multilateral projects for development are the need of the day, he emphasised the importance of becoming competent in the necessary Environment and Social compliances for the state to progress.
He stated that since future development works will increasingly come under the purview of global evaluation standards, there will be no scope for us to progress if we do not learn and adapt quickly by moving away from prevailing local practices in contractual work. He stressed that the LSC contractors have a crucial role, as their performance on compliance will greatly impact Nagaland’s ability to undertake future projects.
The one-day training and orientation focused on compliance such as labour welfare, safety, health, prevention of sexual harassment, working conditions, and environmental pollution, among others.
